"God Said ..."

From the beginning of time God's said and related many things in order to create - bringing into being things that didn't exist prior, and also to give man knowledge of the ultimate truth. But somewhere along the way, what God's said and is still saying, seemingly lost it's power ... but only in the minds of some preoccupied and ignorant men.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. ..." Genesis 1:1-4 (NLT)

... But there are those that say that God doesn't exist and that the earth, everything in it, and indeed all of the heavens, essentially created themselves.

"God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

Some just accuse God of being a liar, saying that what He's related isn't true or is conflicted and that the knowledge that He's given mankind is nothing more than some fantasy or the wishful thinking of men. Some defiantly search to create alternate truth and present it as fact with great authority that gullible others swallow up eagerly ...

"But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools."  Romans 1:18-22 (NLT)

The day is coming when God will redeem what He's said - a day when the inescapable truth is revealed - a day when no one will be able to deny, ignore, ... or escape it.

For those truly believing God and following Christ, every word the Lord has said are words that deserve to be respected, honored and taken to heart above all others. And considering the entirety of all of the things that God has said they should be, and will become, terrifying words to those who don't believe Him when what He's said about their future ... comes to find them in abject horror.

“I am the LORD, and I do not change. ..." Malachi 3:6 (NLT) - definitely words to remember because they mean that we can learn much about who He is right now from the collective search of the history that He's given of His own words and actions. What He has been, He is now and what He is now is what He's always been. But in order to know Him requires an interest and with that interest a serious inquiry - a study of what He's said and done - in context, that gives a revelation of His character - His likes and dislikes, His loves ... and the flash-points that provoke His anger. Further, it requires an actual relationship - a submissive vulnerability to know and to be known. Without that intimacy what we can learn is nothing more than impersonal knowledge, knowledge that knows "about", but lacks the true revelation of intimate experience "with" - that it takes to "know".

"And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NLT)

People can deny or ignore what God has said. They may just scoff and go about their merry investments in their own pleasure and in what this world has to offer, but when the truth comes to bear on a day that they can't predict, will they honestly "know" Jesus? More importantly - will they have allowed Jesus to "know" them?

"Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’ “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out."" Luke 13:23-28 (NLT)

People can be too "busy" for God - ignoring Him for now, but there may come a day, if they don't change their thinking, when the Sovereign God - Judge Of The Universe, returns their ignorance with final justice. What God has said - and indeed what He's saying now, carries the very same extreme power that brought the universe and everything in it into being ...

"For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth. The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command." Psalm 33:4-9 (NLT)

How important is it to hold our faith and confidence even when we're confronted with scoffers, the pretenders and the willfully ignorant? Isn't our faith and our only hope for what we'll find in the future anchored in everything that God said? Do we have the deepest reverence, respect and loyalty for the God who wields such extreme power and also love for us that our imaginations struggle to grasp? The same for what He said? 

Do you know what God said and what He's still saying today? Do you honestly "know" God intimately while allowing Him to know you in the same way - in true, meaningful relationship? 

I'm making such an issue of it because our future life, and lives of our loved ones, depend in part on knowing what "God said" - the rest is surrendering our own stubborn will to submit to it. It's the most important choice of all that we're making with our lives, because we live out what we truly believe ... guided by respect for that belief.

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."  Micah 6:8 (NLT)